366 days since Odegaard's one and only goal for Castilla
The Norwegian got off the mark for the Real Madrid reserves on 21 February 2015 against Barakaldo. Since then his progress has thrown up more questions than answers.
One year has elapsed since Martin Odegaard bagged what is to date his only goal as a Real Madrid player. He opened up his account for the club on 21 February 2015 by breaking the deadlock against Barakaldo in a 4-0 win for Castilla. De Tomás did the hard work, drawing three Basque defenders out of position before laying the ball off to the Scandinavian youngster to finish off the move with ease.
Odegaard signed for Los Blancos on 22 December 2014 for 2.3 million euros and showed promising signs early on after moving to Valdebebas. However, he began to run into problems under Zidane. He also struggled to get on with his team mates, who were presumably put off by his enviable salary (1.2 million euros per season). While his relationship with the other players has improved, he is still considered somewhat of a lone wolf in the dressing room.
Rafa Benítez was not convinced by the 16-year-old but was contractually obliged to include him in the first team squad for the preseason tour. “He’s still rough around the edges” is the general consensus at La Fábrica. Both Zidane and Ramis have both opted to substitute the Norwegian more often than would be expected of such a hyped up talent with such a heavy price tag.